Steam-engine



5 (No Model.) Q I E T. T. PROSSE-R.-

STEAM ENGINE.

No. 555,465. Patented Feb. 25, 1896.

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I l rmmmu E a E E UNITED STATES PATENT EEIcE.

TREAT T. PROSSER, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,465, dated February25, 1896. Application filed December '7 1892- Serial No. 454,414. (Nomodel.)

To (ZZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, TREAT T. PROSSER, of Raddins Station, in county ofEssex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Steam-Engines, of which the following, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of engines knownanddesignated aspiston or reciprocating engines, a class largely used on railroads,steam-vessels, and for all general purposes wherever large amounts ofpower are required. In this class of enginesit is customary to convertthe reciprocating motion of the piston into a rotary motion by the useof a crank through a series of parts connect ing the crank with thepiston-namely, a connecting-rod with its boxes, straps, gibs, keys,piston-rod, stuffing-box, cross-head, slides,

- and bolts, or through the use of an eccentric secured to theengine-shaft, so that the forward movement of the pistonexerts-pressure, in a line parallel with the axial line of the piston,on the periphery of the eccentric, such line of force being at all timesparallel to but varying in distance from the axial line of the piston inthe revolution of the shaft and cocentric, and such pressure beingavailable for the production of rotary movement in the shaft only whenthe line of force is so far to one side of the axial line of the pistonthat a measurement from the point of contact of such line of force withthe periphery of the eccentric to the center of the shaft thereof givesan angle equal, at least, to what is known in the art as the slippageangle, and such line of -force varying, as described, to one side of theaxial line of the piston, a cross-head or other equivalent device isplaced on the end of the piston adjacent to the eccentric to come incontact therewith. These parts being all necessary to form theconnecting link between the piston and crank are all in constantoperation during the working of the engine and are subjected to all'thestrains incident to the speed and pressure of the steam on the piston,requiring the constant attention of the operator to prevent heating andany derangement of the different parts while in operation. By myinvention these difliculties are all obviated, for all of these partsare done away with,

the cityof Lynn, in the and the loss due to their friction and wearprevented.

As engines of this character may be run at a high rate of speed, gearingin many cases can be dispensed with, and as my engine is nearlyself-contained its parts are not exposed to dust .or dirt, requiringless oil and attention during their practical operation to keep them inorder or to clean them when not in use.

The objects of my invention areto obtain a cheaper, more powerful,durable engine for general purposes than those now in use; an enginethat shall be largely self-contained and thoroughly protected from dustand dirt; an engine requiring less steam, less oil, and less attentionfor a given amount of work and a less time to clean when not inoperation; an engine that may be safely run at a high rate of speed; onethat may be used directly on a straight shaft or axle to receive andtransmit the power from an alternating piston by means of wheels soarranged as to largely impart the force of action and reaction asreceived from the piston for propelling the shaft or axle, and thusutilize a larger proportion of the power developed by the heat and steamthan the ordinary engines now in use, at the same time dispensing withthe crank and a large number of working parts ordinarily used inpiston-engines, as heretofore enumerated, thus saving in first cost, inoil, and attention, also inthe amount of steam or heat required for agiven amount of power over those now in use.

In an engine embodying my invention a drive-wheel is secured to theshaft and a transmitter-wheel on the piston, in place of the crank andconnecting parts heretofore used or in place of the eccentricandconnectin g parts heretofore known. The drive-wheel used in the engineembodying my invention must be of such peripheral shape that the forwardmovement of the piston and transmitter-wheel mounted thereon willproduce pressure on the drive-wheel at the point'of contact of thetransmittenwheel therewith, tending to force such contact-point of thewheel to one side-that is, at right angles to the axial line (and lineof movement) of the piston. By thus constructing the drive-wheel on themain shaft of the engine and the transmitter-wheel 011 the piston, sothat the forward movement of the piston will at all times force thecontact-point of the drive-wheel to one side of the path of the piston,as soon as the point or apex of the drive-wheel has passed by the axialline of the piston, the forward movement of such piston is as availablefor the production of rotatory motion in the shaft of the engine as atany point in its forward movement; or (expressed with reference to thedrive-wheel) the forward movement of the piston is as available toproduce rotation of the drive-wheel when the drive-wheel is in one partor portion of its revolution as when in any other part or portion of itsrevolution, (it being understood that one of the transmitter-wheels 011the piston acts only on one half of the drive-wheel) when the pistonmoves in one direction, and the other transmitterwheel acts on the otherhalf of the drivewheel when the piston moves in the other direction;)and, too, I can determine what the extent of forward movement of thepiston shall be to produce a given amount of rotation to the shaft ofthe engine. I am thus enabled to so dispose of the forward movement ofthe piston relative to the side-thrust thereof (through the transmitter)on the drivewheel that the momentum of such piston is converted intorotatory force in the engineshaft, when desired, and the movement of thepiston thereby arrested. Greater eiiicieney, for the above and otherreasons hereinafter given, is obtained in an engine embodying myinvention than has heretofore been socured in engines.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, Iwilldescribe its construction and operation, reference being bad to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is alongitudinal elevation of my engine, showing its general outsideappearance; Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section showing all of itsexternal parts in section and most of those on the inside either insection or elevation. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal horizontal section, partin section and part in elevation, showing more fully parts before shownonly in section.

The following letters represent different parts: A, the central partbetween the cylinders; B and B, the cylinders; C and C, the pistons; D,the axle or shaft; E, the large eccentrical drive-wheel; F and F, thesmall trans- 1nitter-wheels; G and G, the steam-chests; II and H, thevalves; l, the rods connecting the pistons.

The following gives a fuller description of the parts representedbyletters: A represents the central portion of the engine. It is c011-structed in two pieces and in such manner as to form bearings for thejournal-boxes for the shaft or axle D and a cylindrical case for theaxle D and the large wheel E to revolve in. The ends of A arecylindrical, are turned and eounterbored to receive the steam-cylindersB and B, one on each end. The cylinders are bolted to the flanged endsof A, and are bored and fitted for the working of the steam-pistons Gand C. One piston is in one cylinder and the other piston is in theother cylinder. Said pistons are connected together by four rods,(marked I.) These rods serve to keep the pistons in unison, so thattheir motions shall exactly harmonize. Two of the rods I pass over theaxle and two below the axle, and two of the rods are on one side of theeccentrical wheel I] and two rods on the other side of said wheel. Bythis arrangement the pistons are prevented from turning in theirrespective cylinders, but are permitted to have a free lateral motion.On the axle or shaft 1), inside of the central portion of the engine Aand between the pistons C and C, is located the large eccentricaldrive-wheel E, which is permanently attached to the axle or shaft 1),and causes it to rotate when actuated by the small t'ans1nitter-wheels Fand F, which transfer the force of the piston to the axle through theeceentrical drive-wheel E. The small transmitter-wheels F and F areattached to the pistons and form the connecting-link between the pistonsand the eceentrical drive-wheel E, and through which the power istransferred. from the piston to the axle.

From the drawings and description it will be seen that the centralportion of the engine and the cylinders are constructed in parts, whichaffords a ready mode of getting at any of the different parts, and italso alfords a simpler mode of construction but these parts maybe allcast in one piece, and the boxes and other parts inserted, which may bea cheaper mode of construction, and as all of the work ing parts are sovery durable it maybe but a slight objection on account of ease ofgetting at the diiferent parts, and may also be better, for thoseunskilled will not be as liable to take them to pieces as they would ifit were easily done.

Having constructed the engine, as shown and described, with all parts inworking order, the steam is admitted and a rapid rotation. is theresult, the rotation being produced by the transmitters in thelongitudinal movement of the piston alternately forcing to one side andthe other of the axial line of the piston the peripheral point of thedrive-wheel in contact with the transmitters, respectively; but asengines of this class are very easily controlled their speed may beregulated, as desired. As this engine has a very large range of speed,it may be adjusted to suit the most of circumstances with but littledifficulty.

Having described the objects of my invention and a mode of constructionand operation, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is as follows:

1. In a steam-engine, the combination of a central chamber orcompartment having two oppositely-placed cylinders communicatingtherewith, pistons located in the cylinders and connected rigidlytogether, a shaft or axle mounted between the pistons, an eccentricaldrive-wheel secured to such shaft, transmitter-wheels rotatably mountedon the pistons and in contact with the periphery of the ec centricaldrive-wheel, the periphery of such eccentrical drive-wheel shaped sothat longitudinal movement of the pistons will, through thetransmitters, exert force on such periphery, at right angles to suchlongitudinal movements of the pistons, tending to rotate suchdrive-wheel; substantially as described.

2. In a steam-engine, the combination of the main casing or chamber A,the oppositelyplaced cylinders B having steam-chests G provided withvalves H, the pistons O connected by four rods I, the shaft D havingsecured thereto an eccentrical drive-wheel E mounted in the chamber Abetween the piston-rods, the transmitter-wheels F F carried by thepistons and arranged to act on the said eccentrical drive-wheel torotate the shaft, by thrusting to one side of the longitudinal path ofthe piston the peripheral point of the cocentrical drive-wheel incontact with the periphery of the transmitter-wheels, respectively, andconnections between the shaft and valve-rods, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a motor having a longitudinally movable and reciprocatorypistonrod, pistons on the ends thereof, means for admitting motor fluidto and exhausting it from the cylinders of the pistons, and a shaftrotatably mounted between such cylinders, the combination of a wheelhaving an eccentrical periphery, secured on the shaft, with wheelsrotatably mounted on the piston-rod and arranged to thrust to one sideof the path of such wheels the point on the eccentrical periphery incontact therewith in the reciprocatory longitudinal movement of thepistons; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed any name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 12th day of October,A. D. 1892.

TREAT T. PROSSER.

W'itnesses:

C. F. DALTON, HARVEY W. PATCH.

